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HITS Daily Double

PUB CRAWLING: FUTURE TALK

Jody Gerson’s Team UMPG is celebrating the #1 bow of DS2 (Epic) by their writer Future. Two other UMPG signings also contributed to the set: Metro Boomin (left) produced 11 tracks and Sonny Digital (right) wrote on two. As we’ve indicated elsewhere, Future’s album scored enormous streaming numbers from both Spotify and Apple Music, as top hip-hop titles continue to be early indicators of the new business model’s potential. Apple’s numbers neared those of Spotify after just one month, and subscriptions have reportedly passed the 10m mark; will a big ad/marketing push around the VMAs kick Cupertino’s offering to the next level of popularity?

Universal writers also played a major role on the previous week’s chart-topper, Tyrese’s Black Rose. Brandon “Bam” Hodge, Eric Dawkins and the team of Sam Dees and Ron Kersey all contributed, with the latter two co-penning the R&B hit “Shame.”


So, how many of your writers are working on a Broadway show? Huh. Well, you might want to look into it. Cameron Strang and Warner/Chappell are already seeing hefty receipts for the musical Hamilton, penned by and starring W/C writer Lin Manuel-Miranda (and in which the pubco is a substantial investor). The inventive show, which sets the Founding Father’s mythos to a hip-hop-heavy soundtrack, earned $1.3m on the Great White Way last week. That’s more than Penn & Teller, Finding Neverland, Matilda and Phantom. Jazz hands!


Ready, set, create! Sony/ATV VP Creative Jim Vellutato and Island VP A&R Sam Watters recently coordinated a four-day writing marathon for Island signing Keke Palmer’s new album; the confab gathered a worldwide assemblage of the pubco’s writers at the L.A. studios of songwriter/producers THE JAM. Seen just before the first inspirational joint of the day are (l-r) manager Dani Stephenson, Stefan Skarbek, Mateo, THE JAM’s Mike Mani, manager Reggie White, Lazonte Franklin, Brandyn Burnett, Autumn Rowe, Vellutato, Nash Overstreet, Michele Canova, Island’s Su-Rmi Givens, Watters and songwriter Kipp Williams.

Not seen, presumably because they were picking up more inspiration at the dispensary, are fellow session writers Louis Biancaniello, Michael Biancaniello, Fran Hall and Anjulie.


ole has expanded its deal with Timbaland from admin to a worldwide co-pub deal via ole-Bluestone. The pact not only includes Tim’s catalog but encompasses acts he signs to Bluestone. Said ole chief Robert Ott, “We will work to bring Timbaland’s music to an even wider audience while helping to develop the writers and artists he discovers.” For his part, Tim says, “ole has been great to work with, and it only made sense to further our partnership.”


Glassnote’s Insieme has writers on records by RCA’s buzzing Parson James (writer Rory Andrew co-penned “Sinner Like You”; James himself is a Sony/ATV signing) and breakout distaff pop/rockers Hey Violet, the title track of whose Hi or Hey/Capitol EP I Can Feel It was co-penned by Insieme’s Cara Salimando.